composition

Innocent Skydiver Accidentally Destroys Downtown

“Bungee Jumping at the Peal Qatar” by SJByles is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

“Innocent Skydiver Accidentally Destroys Downtown” by Aedan Bennett is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

I chose an image from Creative Commons because I wanted to see if I could change a stranger’s photo to mean something completely different. The original photo is of a bungee jumper over the water in Qatar and he is the focal point of the image along with the long rope above him that contrasts plainly with the open sky of the top half of the original.

In the second image, he is transformed into a giant skydiver who finds himself hurtling down towards the city below him, about to destroy it. By cropping out the rope and removing the top half of the image, the image lacks context and while, of course, no one would read this new image as a giant skydiver, it shows the way cropping and framing are important to give context for the photos you take, especially about who the subjects are and what they are doing.

A Quiet Moment Reframed

“Autumn Cemetery Landscape” by Jennifer Gayle CC BY-NC 4.0

“Autumn Reflection in a Cemetery” by Jennifer Gayle CC BY-NC 4.0

I took this photo during a quiet visit to a cemetery in upstate New York, and I wanted the crop to highlight a reflective moment rather than the entire landscape. In the original image, the subject felt a little lost in the wide scene. Cropping the photo allowed me to shift the focus by placing the subject off center and adjusting the frame for better balance. The final image feels calmer and more intentional, using simple composition choices, such as the rule of thirds and reduced visual distractions, to draw attention to the mood of the moment.

Desert Lollipop

I took the original photo (left) last year while on a trip to Utah. We were driving to the Salt Flats and had plenty of time to kill during the long car ride. I spent a decent portion of that time borrowing my younger brother’s camera and messing around with the different settings. For many pictures, I used my lollipop as a subject.

For the revision of the photo (right), I decided to crop the photo to un-center the lollipop using the rule of thirds. I feel like this actually serves to highlight the lollipop as the subject, even though it’s no longer in the middle. An additional benefit is that it crops out unnecessary details and simplifies the background by getting rid of most of the car window frame in the original picture’s right bottom corner. I also brightened the picture just the tiniest bit. Overall, I think the new photo is much clearer.

Original: “Lollipop Test Image” by Alyssa Mitchinson licensed by CC BY-NC 4.0.

Derivative: “Desert Lollipop” by Alyssa Mitchinson licensed by CC BY-NC 4.0.

February 3, 2026 by Alyssa Mitchinson Spring 2026 Student Posts 3

Who, me?

_{Mr. Garfield, 2025, Karen Jesina, CC BY 4.0}

_{Who, me?, 2026, Karen Jesina, CC BY 4.0}

I love this original photo. It shows Mr. Garfield’s environment, on a rock amidst the greenery of the Garfield Park Conservatory . Yet I felt it would be a good candidate for cropping. In the original photo, the subject is in the center of the picture, creating a more static presence. By cropping in closer to his face and erasing much of the extraneous environment, we are able to detect some level of (imagined?) emotion. His big, bulging eyes look straight at the camera, seeming to express “Who, me?” These eyes fall about 1/3 of the way from the top of the photograph, aligning with the rule of thirds. The yellow lines framing his eyes “pop” a lot more when the photo zooms in, creating more of an intimate relationship between the viewer and the image. I chose to crop using the 1:1 ratio because the square shape fit the head and forelegs of Mr. Garfield while still revealing some of his shell and the rock, while using a rectangular shape would have required more shell or rock, competing with the desired focal point of his face.

January 29, 2026 by Karen Jesina Student Posts 4

Rule of Thirds Saves the Birthday Girl

For this assignment, I created a derivative image by cropping an original photo that I took of my dog. The original image included extra background space and distracting elements that competed with her. In the cropped version, I used the Rule of Thirds by positioning her on the right third of the frame and keeping the birthday gift bag on the left third, creating a more balanced composition. The tighter crop also simplifies the background and strengthens the focal point, drawing attention to her expression and the birthday girl theme.

Original image: Birthday Girl (Original) by Viviana Mendiola, original photo (personal photo).

Derivative image: Birthday Girl Spotlight (Derivative) by Viviana Mendiola, licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.

Resource: Cropping Photos Guide

January 27, 2026 by Viviana Mendiola Spring 2026 Student Posts 2

Laughter is a language we all can understand…

One of my favorite things to experience day to day is smiles and laughter. I love to run across a picture of a beautiful smile, or one that you can tell they were in the middle of a gut-busting laughter session. This beautiful scene shows what appears to be siblings, having a great laugh about something. I’d imagine they are trying to entertain the baby, or even laughing at something the baby did. The young lady in the middle, with her radiant smile and relaxed stance, embodies the most joy!

“There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.” – Charles Dickens

It’s moments like these that remind us of the simplicity of joy found in everyday life. Whether it’s a playful joke, a tickle fight, or the innocent antics of the youngest among us, laughter has the power to transform our day, uplift our spirits, and bond us in a shared experience. Laughter truly is a universal language that everyone speaks fluently.

Amauta Fotografía, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Laughter_Time_(256952705).jpeg

January 30, 2024 by Jane Barrager Student Posts 3

“Be Kind” when you enter Hayfields Market

This is what you see when you enter my favorite coffee place in NY. The picture was taken while I was looking at the register and my focus directly went to the “be kind” sign. It is positioned correctly based on the rule of thirds, and it is also a nice word with a meaning and a purpose. Unconsciously, the surroundings become less important and you feel good just looking at it.

In hindsight, my practice (Alexander technique) kicked in and while I started softening my eyes, allowing them to rest in my eye sockets, I noticed that my breathing started changing, my ribs and vision expanded, I felt more supported by the ground and I could now see the whole picture, like a soup with many ingredients and one flavorful taste. Now I was able to look “through” and receive information from the whole- then a smile came as I realized that there was a hidden, honest, and definitely rewarding (for horses) message hidden in plain sight. Focusing at the basket on the counter… a. crunchy. free. carrot! Yup. I thought “this is amusing and it’s happening at my favorite coffee shop Hayfields in a small town in NY, where you can park your horse, grab your flowers and an ice latte, snatch a carrot and chat with locals about walk, trot, center and gallop”.

“^{Free for Horses” at Hayfields by Georgios Argyratos is licensed by CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 DEED}

The point of this post, except from the assignment, is also that a shift in perception leads to a delightful discovery — the basket of free carrots for horses is a wonderful reflection of how a change in focus and mindfulness can transform an ordinary moment into a richer, surprising, more fulfilling experience.

PS. To make sure that I can use my pictures of a public place, I did some research and found that “According to the law, in public places, you have the right to take photographs of anything that’s in plain view.” with the restriction that photos taken in a public space are permissible for non-commercial purposes. This is why I chose the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 DEED license.

Photo was taken from my LG- G6 phone with Image Metadata specs:

File Size: 1.25 MB
Dimensions: 1280×2560 pixels
Resolution: 3 Megapixels
ISO: 800
Focal Length: 2.01mm
Aperture: F2.4
Shutter Speed: 1/20s

January 28, 2024 by Jane Barrager Spring 2024 Student Posts 5

Focus on the Ball

“Watching teammates battle” by Megan Holkup

“Battle for the Ball” by Megan Holkup

In the original image, the player in the lower left was the dominant figure that was drawing attention, followed by the others on the right side. After noticing those individuals, the eye could then see the actual dramatic story that was unfolding on the floor. In order to highlight the jump ball that was happening on the floor, I needed to crop out the player on the left. By cropping out most of the portions of the bodies of the players on the right, they are no longer the focus, and instead the eye is drawn to the players on the floor. Additionally, they take up the center third of the image. This image would have been much more dramatic if the players on the right were not in the way, however, I wanted to highlight the fact that you can use cropping to draw focus to figures that might be slightly hidden as well by using cropping. As a bonus editing step I would likely bring up the highlights in the photo so that the white in the player’s jersey on the floor would stand out more. This would draw even more attention to that area.

January 28, 2024 by Jane Barrager Spring 2024 Student Posts 3

Frustrated Inc.

Frustrated Inc. is my photo of a record I just received in the mail this past week or so. The album is Grave Dancers Union by Soul Asylum and is one of the most influential albums of the mid-1990s and a significant influence on me personally.

I took a large image of the stereo area in this set of photos, which had no focus on it. It was just a wide shot of an area of the living room. I focus much more heavily on the second photo by cropping the area around to make the album, turntable, and lamp stick out. The album has more focus, but you are also drawn to the old turntable and vintage lamp. The lamp is turned off. Most would have the lamp turned on, but I titled the photo Frustrated Inc., a song on the album. Frustrated is that there seems to be no light at the end, no way home, yet the record is playing; life is still moving. As someone who struggles with mental health issues, I feel that in the song’s title deeply. I am frequently frustrated and feel there is no light at the end. The light is there; you just can’t see it yet.

Are you familiar with the album and can resonate with any of the feelings of frustration that the album portrays in the many songs about losing hope in tough times?

February 1, 2022 by Jane Barrager Spring 2022 Student Posts 3

It’s all about Nori

The photo I chose to crop is a picture that I took of my cousin Minkah Merritt and my sister Olivia Jones. This photo was taken in January 2019 in Statesboro, GA where I was born.

I decided to pick this photo for our Media Lab 3 composition exercise because it is super special to me. Why you ask is this photo so special to me? First off, I took the photo and second it is special because of the fury four-legged Shih Tzu posing at the bottom of the picture named Nori. My 1^st cousin Minkah and my sister are also super special to me but as far as this picture is concerned it is all about Nori.

Before Photo

It’s all about Nori by Deidra Lynn Jones is licensed under © “All Rights Reserved 2019”

The original photo has a large red piece of furniture in the frame and the right half of the picture shows way too much of the hallway and open door which is not essential to the picture. The picture does have Nori who posed perfectly on cue with everyone else in the photo.

After Photo

It’s all about Nori by Deidra Lynn Jones is licensed under © “All Rights Reserved 2022”

The cropped photo has better composition. The red piece is no longer in the photo and you now have a beautiful photo of Minkah, Oliva and Nori. Also, I used the rule of thirds to center everyone on the left of the frame while cropping out a lot of the hallway and open door that was on the right of the frame. The cropped photo has much better composition and makes for a great family picture!!

January 30, 2022 by Jane Barrager Spring 2022 Student Posts 2